Guns and Drive Thrus: Two Modern American Ills

A tragic story took place in Las Vegas, Nevada but could have happened anywhere in the U.S. According to news reports, Alex Kopystenski was in his car in the drive-thru lane of a Walgreens drugstore with his 5 year-old son Giovanni in the back seat. Giovanni found a gun, played with it, and accidentally shot himself. Giovanni died and his father has been charged with child endangerment. Amazingly, the father was released from jail after posting bail of only $3,000.

The sad story illustrates two ills plaguing our country. One is the proliferation of guns. Their prevalence ensures that some guns will find their way into the hands of irresponsible people like Kopystenski, meaning that tragedies like this will continue to occur.

The second ill, which admittedly pales by comparison, is the spread of drive-thrus. Perhaps as a result of an increasingly overweight population, people don't have to bother to use their legs to pick up double cheeseburgers or a few items from a drugstore. If this father had parked and taken his son into the store, this story might never have been told.